Firefighters risk lives, but not appreciated

Firefighters risk lives, but not appreciated

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

All firefighters understand the inherent risks of their job, but
still they are always startled to hear news of a colleague's
death in the line of duty.

"I was shocked when I was informed that Subandi died during
the Melawai market fire because I had just been with him there. I
left for the station house first as the fire had already been put
out," said 46-year old firefighter M. Sontang Siregar.

Firefighter Subandi, 45, died in the fire, which burned a
four-story market building owned by city market operator PD Pasar
Jaya in Melawai, Blok M commercial district in South Jakarta last
Monday.

Subandi and Siregar had been friends for nearly 25 years since
they started their careers together as firemen in 1980.

Subandi's last position was head of the fire station in Tebet,
South Jakarta, while Siregar is chief of a firefighter platoon in
South Jakarta. Siregar said they often ended up working together.

Siregar recalled that before his death, Subandi, together
with his four subordinates, made a final check of the building,
which was a common practice done by supervisors after they had
managed to tame the blaze.

Unfortunately, Subandi, whose body was found on the second
floor of the building, was killed as the flames escalated again
when he was still inside the building. Four of his subordinates
managed to escape.

"I tell you what happened to Subandi may also happen to any
other fireman including me. It is impossible to anticipate such
an incident," Siregar told The Jakarta Post in a recent
interview.

For firefighters, threats against their lives do not only come
from fires, but also from residents who are not satisfied with
the way they are extinguishing a blaze.

"Victims often assault us if they think we are not doing our
jobs well," said Siregar, while adding that they often damage
firetrucks or other equipment in their anger and frustration.

"News about firefighters being assaulted by residents who are
not satisfied with us are already common. We usually receive such
treatment when called to slum blazes," he added.

Siregar said that he never forgets two incidents that nearly
killed him. The first occurred after an explosion in an arsenal
in Cilandak, South Jakarta in 1984.

"At that time I was still young. The situation was very
dangerous as stray bullets were igniting and flying in every
direction," he said, adding that he was stationed in the area for
three days.

Another unforgettable incident was in 1996 when he was working
on blaze in Manggarai, South Jakarta. It had been sparked by a
brawl between two rival residents in the area. The people there
prohibited firemen from getting to the fires that were burning
property owned by their opponents.

"Using machetes, these people just ran after us when we tried
to extinguish it. They told us not to put the fire out. We were
forced to stop as they had machetes to our necks," he added.

Head of City Fire Department Johnny Pangaribuan said there
were two main problems faced by his people in the city.

First, the difficulties of entering slum areas where fires
break out frequently and their trucks cannot get down the narrow
alleyways in the slums.

Lack of hydrants is also a problem in the capital,
particularly if the fire is far from rivers because most hydrants
in the city are simply not adequate.

Unlike other employees, firefighters are on call 24-hours-a-
day and take two days off after each shift.

Siregar said that there were groups of firefighters in shifts
-- A, B and C-- in South Jakarta, each consisting of 160 people.

"Those 160 must be available for 24 hours. They must be ready
to be deployed at any time throughout South Jakarta. Some of us
may help fight fires in other municipalities," said Siregar.

Firefighters are relatively better off financially compared to
other civil servants in the capital. Since last year, they have
also received a Rp 950,000 (US$94.14) special allowance from the
Jakarta administration.

Siregar said that after working for 23 years in the fire
department, he currently received Rp 3.22 million in take-home
pay per month.

Unfortunately, not all of his colleagues in the city are
insured due to lack of funding.

Pangaribuan said that the city administration had not been
able to give life insurance to firemen because of financial
constraints.

Realizing the risk of their job, Siregar and several coworkers
have taken out education insurance for their children.

"I have to pay Rp 600,000 every three months in premiums for
my two children's education insurance. If something happens to
me, my children will still be able to continue school as the
insurance company will pay about Rp 30 million to each of my
children," he added.

Siregar, who graduated from a vocational school in Medan,
North Sumatra, said becoming a firefighter was not his real
ambition. His real target after finishing his studies was to work
as an administrative clerk.

"Since I ended up becoming a firefighter, I suppose it was my
destiny. I am happy with my current job because not all people
can do this job. The most important thing is that I can support
my family and pay the school fees for my children," he said.